Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-08-19
TWO HUNDRED KILLED.
APPALLING ACCIDENT TOAN ex-
CURSION TRAIN.
Nearly 200 Persons More or Less
Injured.
The Lamps Exploded and Set Fire Z"
Coaches.

Injured.
The Lamps Exploded and Set Fire "a the
Coaches.
An excursion train on the Toledo, Peoria
| & Western road went through bridge at
Piper City, H., late on the night OF August
| 10th, and nearly zoo persons were killed aad
as many more in ured II was an excur-
sion train Of Is cars route to Niagara
Falls on the Toledo Peoria 4 Western road
The train left Bloomington for Niagara
Falls on the Illinois Central, the intention
being to go by that road as far as Chats
worth and from thence by way Of the Tole-
do. Ieoria & Western. The change was made
at Chatsworth, in Livingston county, and
soon afterward as the train nesred fiper
City, small town in Ford county the
bridge crossing the NermilliOn river gave
way plunging the engine and several cars
down steep embankment into the stream
The cars caught fire from the lamps and
a fearful panic ensued. 1t was found that
nearly 9 0 excursionists were killed and
as many more injured.
The excursion train while on the bridge
came into collision with another train go
ing in the opposite direction. The cars OF
the excursion train were piled upon
each other in frightful confusion, and from
the shock Of the collision the bridge gave
way.
The train consisted OF Il coaches and
sleepers, crowded with passengers. The
culvert had been burned away about two
miles east O. thatsworth presumably by
IA prairie fire. The two engines were COM
pletely wrecked, together with 10 coaches
and baggage car. Engineer McCllntock
was instantly killed. Two tiremen and the
other engineer es aped serious injury.
The 10 cars were pied on top Of the two
engines. cling telescoped and piled across
and on top OF each other. Ii Is miraculous
how any escaped, the coaches and en-
ginCs do not occupy over two car lengths
of track, and all on top of the roadbed. In
one coach not person escaped. In an
other only lady.
No sooner had the wreck occurred than
a scene of robbery commenced. Some
band of unspeakable miscreants, heartless
and with only criminal Instincts was on
hand, and plundered the dead of this ter
rble accident, taking even the shoes which
covered their feet Who these wretches
are is not now known W neither they
were n band OF pickpockets who accom-
panied the train o some robher gang who
were lurking in the vicinity cannot he said.
The horrible suspicion, however, exists
and there are many who give IT credit,
that the accident was "a deliberately
planned case of train wrecking that the
bridge was set on fire by miscreants who
hoped to ,eize the opportunity, and the
fact the bridge was SO far consumed at
the time the train came along, and the
added fact that the train was an hour and
a half late, are pointed out as evidence OF
"A careful conspiracy. These ghouls went
into the cars when the fire was burning
ferce.y underneath and, when the poor
wretches who were plunged there begged
them, FOR God sake, TO help them
out strip ed them Of their watches
and jewe'ry and searched their
pockets for money. W hen the dead todies
were laid out III the corn fields. thee
hyenas turned them over in their search
for valuables. and that the plumber was
done by an organi Ell gang. was proven
by the fact that out in the corn field six
teen purses. all empty. were found in a
heap. 1t was CHASTITY plundering and
had the plunderers been caught they would
surely have been lynched.
There was one incident of the accident
which stood out more horrible than all of
those hOrr bic scenes. in the second coach
was a man, his wife and little child. His
name could not lie learned, but it i said
he got on at Peoria When the accident
occurred the entire family of three was
caught and held down by broken wood
work Finally. when relief came. the man
turned TO the friendly aid and feebly said:
Take out my wife hrSt; I'm afraid the
child Is dead - 50 tAey carried out the
mother, and as | roken seat was taken
of her crushed breast. the blood which
weled from her lips told how badly she
was hurt. They carried the child AMI laid
her in the corn field dead, alongside OF
her diving mother. Then they went back
for the father and brought him out. Both
his 'egs were broken. but he crawled
through the corn to the side of his wife,
and feeling her owed features in the dark
ness pressed some brandy TO her fps and
asked her how she felt feeble groan
the only answer and the next instant
she died. The man felt the forms OF his
dead vile and child, cried out; My God.
there Is nothing more for me TO i've for
now. and taking pistol out of his pocket
pulled the trigger. The bullet went surely
through his brain.
The news OF the disaster was brought to
Chatswo rth 10y one of the passengers about
midnight, and the inhabitant, aroused
Buggies, lumber wagons and every kind
OF vehicles were used to reach the fatal
spot. AS fast a, the corpses were taken
from the wreck they were laid out on the
side of the track. Before daylight the
work of removing the dead and moving
them TO Chatsworth was begun. AS soon
the corpses were received they were
placed in large empty building, lately
occupied as store, also in the public
school house and in the depot waiting
room The residents of the town
threw open their houses for the recep-
ton of the dead and wounded but the
former were sent to improvised morgues.
Friends an relatives of the dead came to
Chatsworth with the remains, and the
scenes in the different places where the
bodies lay was most heartrending and
distressing. As the day passed bodies
were being continually brought in from
the scene OF the wreck, the ma ioritv of
them being mangled in the most frightful
manner many of them having their faces
entirely torn away. leaving their brains
exposed, while their Jaws, fingers and legs
had been torn of.
A LATER REPORT.